Satan's Great Defeat

(Go To Meeting)

Lyall Johnston—February 17, 2023

 - Video |  - PDF | Audio | [Up]

It's interesting that there were articles that appeared in the Plain Truth magazine back in 1959 and 1960 called Satan's Great Deception. So, I've taken that as the title for tonight's message because even though Satan's deception is so great and so powerful, he has already lost the end battle.

But do you think even though he may know the Scriptures, even though he may know that his days are numbered:

• Do you think he will give up?
• Do you think he's just going to pack his bags and go away and say:

Jesus has already defeated me. I'm just going to go and sit in the corner and chew my fingernails and I'll just wait for it all to happen.

That's not him at all because Satan in his position is going to keep fighting right to the very bitter end! We need to understand and appreciate that, because God has a message for him and God has a message for us! It's the very key to our salvation!

Let's see what Satan and his sin is all about and how that affects you and me, and how it affects God's Plan, not only now, but into the ages of eternity.

Rom. 8 is just such a powerful Scripture. We can come back time and time again because:

• there is so much encouragement in it
• there's so much hope in it
• there's so much knowledge, understanding and wisdom of God and His Plan

The Plan of God is just so great that despite the most wretched work, the most evil work of Satan, God has got it all figured. It's all planned, and He's already set the final battles and the future!

Romans 8:17: "Now, if we are children…"

We are the children of God IF God has called us. We have come to understand the nature that is within us—that rotten, vile human nature—which every human being has possessed from our mother Eve. It's been passed on from generation to generation, and it is alive and well today.

Of course, our battle is keeping that under wraps, keeping it totally under control by the power of God's Spirit; by our mind being so filled with the Word of God that we're able to push out:

• every thought
• every idea
• every stronghold

we're able to control him:

• by the power of God's Spirit
• by the power of His Word
• by the indwelling presence of God the Father and Jesus Christ

We understand that

• IF we are the children of God
• IF we have repented deeply
• IF we have been baptized and had hands laid on us and received the Spirit of God

We can remove that IF because we are the children of God! So, for those who are not, then of course, there's still some work to be done.

Verse 17: "Now, if we are children, we are also heirs—truly, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ…"

• Can you imagine anything greater than that in our calling?
• What does an heir do?
• Doesn't an heir possess everything that's passed onto him or her by their father? God is our heavenly Father, the Father of all fathers!

So great is His might so great is His power!

Here we are on the earth and we're so wonderful because we can invent these telescopes like the James Webb, and we look at the beauty in the heavens. As David wrote, it expresses the knowledge, the existence of God in a language that's not spoken. That's what David understood when he looked up into the heavens.

When you think about it, the James Webb, or any other telescopes, only zeroes in on one very minute particle of the entire cosmos. The cosmos, the creation that was done with the hands of the One Who became Jesus Christ! It is so vast! How many millions of years would it take for the James Webb telescope to view every particular corner, every particular area of the universe?

Just not going to happen! Man is not going to see that until man becomes truly the born again sons and daughters of God!

We are heirs of all that Kingdom, and everything else that hasn't been revealed to us, yet. The calling, the challenges are so great and right now and here in our time, the calling into the Body of Christ, which is His Church! Being called ahead of the rest of mankind, along with the saints from the Old Testament and the saints from the time of Jesus and the apostles.

It's just a few by comparison to the billions upon billions of human beings that have been born and never understood that plan. God has plucked each one of us out of this world and revealed this to us! Because we are members of the Body of Christ, there is a connection between each one of us as part of the Body with Jesus Christ Himself and His rule of the entirety of everything that he has created.

All the principalities and powers, everything that existed or exists by the power of God and are held up by his hand, moment by moment, nothing fails, and we are joint heirs with Christ!

If Christ is in us, then we are going to inherit all things, and all things means the entirety of the creation, the entirety of the universe. There are some people who say they don't want that. Well I do and I'm sure that you do. Otherwise you wouldn't be listening to these programs.

Now a change in mood here. Paul says, "…if indeed we suffer together with Him…" (v 17).

Have you done any suffering with Christ? If you're in Christ, then yes, you will have. He suffered and we become a part of His suffering. Not that we suffer for Him, but we become His brothers and sisters. Therefore, because of that, the world is going to persecute us and it's going to cause us to suffer just like it caused His suffering.

"…so that we may also be glorified together with Him" (v 17).

Stop and think about that! We can understand that, but only as Paul said, 'looking through a glass darkly,

Verse  18: "For I reckon that the sufferings of the present time…"

We can probably keep this in mind with all our aches and pains, our sicknesses, our flus or covid, whatever.

"…are not worthy to be compared with the glory…" (v 18).

Think about that suffering on the one hand, which is momentary, as Peter says. and Paul says basically the same. Compared to or contrasted to glory in eternity! That's a hope that we need to cling to, not only now in our present day troubles, but the troubles are going to come upon the Church particularly, and then the rest of the world.

And as was said, an online meeting recently. How that Satan is out to get the Church, the #1 target, because of what we are reading right here. Satan's main plan is to stop/prevent human beings from becoming the sons and daughters of God so that:

• we may inherit all things in the Kingdom of God,
• we may be the heirs of the Kingdom of God

Everything that God has, that He is by His own Word, by His own Truth! God says He's going to share with us:

"…so that we may also be glorified together with Him" (v 18).

Again. v 18: "For I reckon that the sufferings of the present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation itself…" (vs 18-19)—the entirety of the creation:

• the angelic realm
• every heavenly object out there in the heavens

The visible heavens, even though the heavens that we can't see, if we had the ability, if we had the eyesight to see, to the extent or the extremes of the universe, it's all of that!

Verse 19: "For the earnest expectation of the creation itself is awaiting the manifestation of the sons of God."

Do we understand that the entirety of what we're able to see and even what we can't see out there is waiting on us?

• to fully put on Christ
• to get rid of everything that is from Satan the devil
• to get rid of all the works of the flesh
  • the lust of the eyes
  • the lust of the flesh
  • the presumptuousness of human living
  • the pride that is within us

So the whole creation here is "…awaiting the manifestation of the sons of God." That's you and me!

Verse 19: "For the earnest expectation of the creation itself is awaiting the manifestation of the sons of God… [this is what God is doing] …Because the creation was subjected to vanity…" (vs 19-20).

• Have you been subject to the vanity?
• Have I been subjected to vanity and pride? Yes!

That's the key to our inheritance and will unfold this. This is nothing new. This is nothing that you haven't heard before.

Paul says, and I think John, says the same thing, but it's necessary for us to hear these things over and over again because our minds forget. The older we get we're inclined to forget. This is vital.

"…the creation was subjected to vanity..."

• Who did that?
• Who subjected the creation to vanity?
• Who subjected you and me to vanity?
• Was it God?

We'll see as we continue! Notice the next phrase:

"…not willingly…" (v 20).

So, what Paul is telling us here, there's a reason why God, Who was the One Who has subjected the whole creation, including us, to vanity; "…not willingly…" Why?

"…but by reason of Him who subjected it in hope" (v 20). What's the hope?

• the hope of immortality
• the hope of eternal life
• the hope of being raised with Christ
• the hope of being and experiencing the resurrection as Christ experienced it
• so that we may be in the Kingdom with Him

That's the hope! But being exposed to vanity is so important. Why?

"…in order that the creation itself might be delivered from the bondage... " (v 21).

What God is doing in you and me today and all the saints of God, drawing us together in the Body of Christ, and groups here, groups there, scattered maybe just two or three sometimes. But Jesus said where two or three are gathered together, I am there in the midst.'

God is with us, even when we're by ourselves. He is also in us. The Father and Christ are dwelling within us if the Spirit of God is in us.

He's subjected the creation—that includes you and me, all the saints clear back to the patriarchs—so that the entire "…creation itself might be delivered from the bondage of corruption…" (v 21). Who caused the corruption? Satan!

"…into the freedom of the glory of the children of God" (v 21).

God today is freeing us from the weight of sin and the second death!

• He's delivering us from this world
• He's delivering us from the evil that is within

So that the Holy creation may experience that freedom!

• What's dependent upon our faith, our love, our hope?
• Do we realize what Paul is saying here? That the creation is waiting on us!
• Why? To deliver it from the bondage of corruption! Where did that corruption come from?
• How come the whole creation is corrupted?

Verse 22: "For we know that all the creation is groaning… [because of the damage done] …together and travailing together until now. And not only that, but even we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, also groan…" (vs 22-23)—in some way:

• because of the nature we have within
• because of the evil we see taking place in the world
• because of what we see Satan is doing through the various organizations to the children of this world

Bright young, fresh, young lives being destroyed by all his evil works. Does our heart not cry out to God because of that?

"…also groan within ourselves, awaiting the sonship—the redemption of our bodies" (v 23).

Acts 3:18—here we pick up the next step: "But what God had before announced by the mouth of all His prophets…"

This is not something that's been hidden, it's been announced. The prophets did not understand some of the things that you and I understand,

• because what has been given to us
• because of the life, ministry, crucifixion, deaths, and resurrection of Jesus Christ

He's shown us so much more than they actually had access to. It all comes together and everything is perfectly in harmony and is the Truth of God.

Verse 18: "But what God had before announced by the mouth of all His prophets, that Christ should suffer, He has accordingly fulfilled. Therefore… [this is a message for us every day] …repent… [as we should be repenting and confessing our sins daily before God] …and be converted…" (vs 18-19).

Converted from what we were into the perfect image of Jesus Christ, that we can get closer and closer to where Christ was when He said that 'the ruler of this world is coming'! Isn't he coming today? 'But he [Satan] does not have one saying in Me.'

I know that I mention this almost every time, but it's, it's such a classic text; it's such an important text:  John 14:30, the ruler of this world!

You know Jesus called him the ruler of this world. Who's that? Satan the devil.

Verse 19: "Therefore, repent and be converted… [Why?] … in order that your sins may be blotted out…" How are they blotted out?

1- Peter 1:19: "But by the precious blood of Jesus Christ…"—day-by-day.

We're covered by the blood of Christ so we can progress and walk in the laws and the commandments, the statutes the judgments, the ordinances and the precepts, which David continually repeated, particularly in Psa. 19.

Acts 3:19: "…in order that your sins may be blotted out, so that the times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; and that He may send Him Who was before proclaimed to you: Jesus Christ" (vs 19-20).

So, there is coming a time of the refreshing of all things!

We can go back to Gen. 1, and we know the story how that in the beginning, God created the heavens on the earth. Satan was given rule over the earth with a third of the angels. We know that he did not like the fact that he was on the earth, and here was God with the other two thirds of the angels—with Michael and Gabriel—24 elders and the four beasts all there before God's Throne. Satan was only going there as a visitor, and resentment and jealousy began to build up in him. We can see that in two Scriptures particularly. Let's just turn to one of them:

We've been over these time and again. But let's remember, it's not a waste of time going back over these same Scriptures, because these Scriptures help us to keep a focus of God's Plan. We need to be reminded, all of us, day-by-day what God is doing, why he's doing it, and the outcome.

Ezek. 28—What do we read? We know, first of all, talks about the king of Tyre and then it talks about 'the prince of Tyre'; the power that's behind the king.

Ezekiel 28:12: "'Son of man, lift up a lamentation over the king of Tyre, and say to him, "Thus says the Lord GOD, 'You seal up the measure of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty'"'"

This was Lucifer, which was his name before he sinned.

Verse 13: "You have been in Eden…"

So at the time that Ezekiel is writing this, it can't be talking about a human being and has to be talking about a spirit being, which we know was Lucifer. So what happened? The LORD talks there about the beauty that he had that goes on and He says:

"…The workmanship of your settings and of your sockets was prepared in you in the day that you were created" (v 13).

Of course, it is thought that that's a reference to music and the way music has been perverted today.

Verse 14: "You were the anointed cherub that covers… He was one of the three that covered God's Throne."

I just have something I haven't looked into. It says, it says "You were the anointed…" Did that mean that he perhaps had a position greater than Michael and Gabriel? I don't know, it's just a, a throwaway point!

Verse 14: "You were the anointed cherub that covers, and I set you so …"

God had put him in as a principality and a power in His Kingdom at that stage!

"…you were upon the Holy mountain of God; you have walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire" (v 14).

A a little bit of an insight into what it's like and before God's Throne, just absolutely incredible when you read about even the appearance of the Archangels. Particularly. I think it was Gabriel, just what Daniel saw when he saw Gabriel. It was very similar to, to what Jesus Christ is described as just so powerful.

His eyes are just like flames of fire. His feet like shining brass. So much so that Daniel was just flattened, he was trembling and afraid because of the beauty and the glory of Gabriel when he came to him.

Mind you, he'd been fasting without food, without meat, without drink for three weeks. Interesting to read that. You can read of the, those incidences and incidents and Dan, 9 & 10.

Verse 14: "You were the anointed cherub that covers, and I set you so…" God had given him great importance!

• What happened? It went to his head, it went to his heart!
• Did God plan that? No!

What God did when he created the angels, he did not want angels that had artificial intelligence. He gave them free moral agency so that they could think for themselves, and decide what they were going to do, because that is the only way that character can be built!

God was not creating character in them. God created them so that they would build a character by their choices and their decisions through the freedom He had given them to think.

God had given them all His Laws. Where does it say that? It doesn't, does it? but what we are told. Is that God gave Adam and Eve His laws and commandments. God gave ancient Israel his laws and commandments, and the Scriptures say that God changes not!  Did God give angels laws and commandments for the angels? Absolutely! But He gave them freedom of choice. He wanted them to choose the way of life that God had given them according to the laws and commandments for angels. Interesting!

"…I set you so; you were upon the Holy mountain of God; you have walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. You were perfect…" (14-15).

That's how God created him. Just like God originally created the heavens and the earth and it was destroyed because of Satan's rebellion. So then God recreated the earth for mankind. What do you think that did to Satan when God planted these weak human beings? The these beings that God had created are the dust of the ground, just clay and just kind of molded them like a potter, that when He wanted to, He'd just bring his fist up and smash that clay back into the ground again, which He will do if we refuse to obey and keep His commandments!

But that's the past for us. God has called us and now our desire is:

Father, You are our Teacher. Please teach us Your ways. Please teach us Your laws. I have all these people are against me because I am obeying You and following You. But I will not let them get to me because I'm going continue to walk in Your ways and in Your paths. But help me, I'm weak.

This is David, King of Israel. Totally humble before God.

Verse 15: "You were perfect in your ways from the day that you were created, until iniquity was found in you. By the multitude of your merchandise…" (vs 15-16).

Tie in where it talks about the agents of this world with all their merchandise and so forth (Rev. 18:11-19[transcriber's correction]). Who's behind that? Satan! We know that and God is going bring an end to that.

Verse 15: You were perfect in your ways from the day that you were created, until iniquity [sin] was found in you. By the multitude of your merchandise they have filled your midst with violence…" (vs 15-16).

So whatever it was, whatever industry or merchandise it was, we're not told. We just accept that because we can make the comparison was the wickedness that it goes on today in trade, government and education, in every avenue of human life. Satan is in there driving it! The whole world, including Christianity so-called is under the sway and the power of Satan the devil (John 5)

"…and you have sinned. Therefore, I will cast you as profane from the mountain of God… [and He did] …I will destroy you…" (v 16).

That will happen when God finally puts him into outer blackness and darkness where he will not be able to do anything but grind his teeth in absolute total frustration because he's been blocked now from the entire Plan of God! God's just going to remove him, never to be seen of or to have any influence of again!

"…I will cast you to the ground… [which was back onto the earth] …I will lay you before kings, that they may behold you" (v 17).

This goes between the king of Tyre, and of course, Satan Who is the power behind him. You can read also the passage, which I'm sure you're familiar with, and Isa. 14.

Satan's plan is to stop you and me from becoming part of the Body of Christ. Because it's the Body of Christ, the Church, so melded with the mind, humility, love and power of Christ that eventually is going to free the entire universe from the destruction, from from the bondage, as Paul said, from Satan the devil!

God created us from the dust of the ground. Today we have that opportunity and we have made the choice to follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ and all those who are true follows of Him.

So Satan, unless we let him, cannot stop us. From attaining eternal life, salvation and rulership in the Kingdom of God. That's an absolute certainty. Only we can take ourselves out of that. Some people who have been in the Church some who have been converted, sadly decided to go back into the world and the ways of the world.

There are others who are in the Church and sometimes they cause problems. They can get hotheaded, they can get angry, they can stir up congregations, and they have to be removed if they don't repent. God wants peace and harmony. He wants love in the Church. He wants a fellowship between one another.

We are brothers and sisters. Not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, the Spirit of God, which God has shared with us, and the Spirit of Christ, which Christ has shared with us, to bring us into that place of eternal life. You may want to read Heb. 10 about our future, how that God has promised us all things, but we don't see that, yet.

What we do see is what Christ has accomplished and what Christ has accomplished. He has drawn us, the Father and He have drawn us into that plan in a such an important plan. Everything in life, everything in the universe, everything on the Kingdom of God is focused on that area.

We find that Adam and Eve were tempted and that. Attitude was passed on down toward us. We are very aware, as so many Scriptures say:

• Satan is 'the god of this world'
• he is the 'prince of the power of the air'
• he is the ruler of this world

We find in Rev. 12 that is a well rehearsed chapter where:

• we get a lot of the history of Satan and also of his demise
• we see the threat that he is to the Church
• we see the destruction of Satan

We begin to see this in Gen. 3:15, where it says what was going to happen on future. Christ was going to come and Satan was going to get to His heel, and of course, His death. Then eventually Christ was going to crush the head of Satan, totally crush his government, totally crush and remove his rule from this earth, and his influence on the entirety of the creation.

The problem for Satan and the message of his destruction comes through Jesus Christ; his problem is Jesus Christ, because he knows that Christ is coming to destroy his kingdom. That Christ came to destroy his work. And what is his work? Trying to inspire or instill within you and me by his temptation! God tempts nobody.

God did lead Jesus by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. But God didn't tempt Christ and He will not tempt us. God gives us the ability and the power to overcome that temptation.

In Matt. 4[transcriber's correction] we see those three temptations. Luke mentions them, but he only mentions two of the temptations (Luke 4).

At that point, Jesus Christ overcame the temptations of Satan the devil. That is a picture for us to cling onto with all our strength.

Satan could not tempt Him in one point. He tempts you and me and occasionally he can tempt us, because:

• we are still weak
• we still don't have that fullness of maturity
• we don't have yet the fullness of the fruits of God's Spirit in our life

and he can trip us up!

We quickly repent and that precious blood of Jesus—I love that expression, and its effect on the entirety of the creation. It's that and everything that happens because of that, that the whole of the universe, the whole of God's creation is going to be purified with one exception: Satan and his demons.

Once Satan sinned, once his demons sinned, their character was set as evil and only evil continuously. There is no sacrifice for Satan, but there is a sacrifice for you and me and for those who take the precious blood of Jesus Christ, receive the indwelling of God's Spirit. That gives us eternal life!

IF we on the other hand, turn around and say:

Well, God, I don't want anything to do with You. I understand. I've seen all Your Plan. I read your Word. I don't want it. I want the lust of the eyes. I want the lust of the flesh. I want the presumptuous pride of the physical life. That's for me, and then I'll die.

IF that's what we choose, we will die, and we will go back to the dust!

But we have chosen to confess our sins and to struggle against the sin of Satan, through humility. It's humility that within us that God gives us, overcomes the power of Satan. So on the one hand you have the vanity, the pride of Satan.

I have just something here that I, I wrote down what's the difference between, I asked myself, pride and vanity? Well, here it is. I just got this online, but it's a reasonable explanation.

• Vanity relates to what we would have others think of us
• Pride relates to our opinion of ourselves: I, me mine

There is a system whereby it can tell how much you are involved and how much you are vain and proud of yourself by the degree of, or how many times you used those words those pronouns. I, me and you.

It's interesting that Marilyn Monroe was able to keep the mind off herself for about three minutes, I think it was.

On the other hand, Eleanor Roosevelt was able to go two, three hours when, you know, her mind just didn't come onto herself.

To use the pronouns, I, me and mine is not evil. Look how Jesus talked about Himself, how He declared that He is the Son of God, because that's what God made of Him. Look how David talked about the 'I':

• I love Your Law
• I worship You
• You are my Savior
• You are my King

So there's the right use!

But when we use the, the pronouns and, and this was Satan. Now he didn't have a belly button, but you know the term, 'he had his eyes on his own belly button.' He had his eyes on  himself; that's all he could see.

Isn't that true? There's so many that we know that. Isn't it also true that it's something that we have to be very careful of? To get our mind on ourselves for a selfish, even jealous lustful means?

When we think about some of the saints… I was reading through Daniel and when you look at Daniel when he was praying to God fasting for three whole weeks and it says he was fasting, there's another key to humility. I would like to offer a comment that to understand true heartfelt humility, fasting is a major key to that!

We know that God's command—and we love that command—is to fast on the Day of Atonement. As Daniel said, when he fasted, he ate nothing; no food, no wine passed over his lips. But the depths of humility can be examined by fasting. Jesus was asked one time by the apostles, 'Look, we fast and, and the Pharisees is fast, why don't Your disciples fast? Jesus answered and said to them (you can find this in Matthew):

While the bridegroom is with the people—I'm with them, I'm the Bridegroom—they don't need to fast because I'm here. But when I go, they will fast because they're going need to fast to get close to Me.

I would just say that I understand that when we understand how to fast what do we find? We become weak. We find that if we continue to fast and never eat again, we become so weak, we'll die. Fasting shows us also that without contact, without eating the the Body of Christ and drinking of His blood through the Passover, through obedience to Him, we're going starve spiritually and we're going die spiritually!

There are times in our lives when we face mammoth events. Like David with the potential birth of his unborn child with Bathsheba; illegitimate. He fasted and he prayed, pleading with God to save that child's life. The child died. David finished his fast and I'm sure that every time David had a serious problem, he fasted and there was Daniel fasting three weeks.

Why? Because he wanted to understand the Scriptures! (Dan. 9 &10) What did God do? God sent Gabriel, this brilliant angel who terrified Daniel initially until he laid his hands on him and said,

Daniel, you know, don't be afraid. Stand up. I've come to bring an answer to your prayer, the prayers that you had about the prophecies of Jeremiah, and he said, you are greatly loved.

The reason I was three weeks getting to you, God heard your prayer the very day you started to pray it, and here three weeks later, he receives the answer.

• Should we always expect an immediate answer to prayer? No!
• Should we expect answers? Yes!
• Even if God says no?
• Is that not an answer?
• Why would God say no to a prayer request like that?

Well, think of Paul who asks three times for God to remove or Christ to remove the affliction of probably a one of his enemies who followed him around making things upsetting. As the Scriptures indicate upsetting things for him when he was trying to preach the Gospel. God says, no! Why?

I want you to understand that if I take this affliction from you, you're going get proud. You're going have Satan get to you and you're going get puffed up, because I have given you so much that you need this affliction, whatever it was, to keep the humility.

When God gives us a lot, there's a big responsibilities on our shoulders, but we always look to Him. Did Paul continue to look to Christ? Thank God the Father, thank Jesus Christ that Paul was faithful! Look at:

• the knowledge
• the wisdom
• the ability given to us through the writings of Paul
• of the indwelling of God's Spirit by Paul's many writings

There's some incredible writings there. Eph. 2 & 3, just amazing Scriptures.

Eph. 3:10—This is this is a massive subject and I appreciate it from, from the start that I would not be able to cover everything that I've been looking at in the last several months, in fact, over the last number of years, just on this one subject.

Now you can get a copy. I believe you can download a copy of Satan's Great deception from the Church website. {https://www.cbcg.org/images/books/Satans-Great-Deception-CBCG.pdf}

This is written by Dr. Paul C. Meredith, who died about March, April, 1968. We just happened to be passing through Pasadena at the time, and we did attend his funeral. He was the one who was the founder of the Ambassador College Correspondence Course; a lot of people grew up and cut their spiritual teeth on that material.

Something else I just pulled out here regarding the subject, if you want to study more about it: Appendix two Did God Create Satan the Devil? From the book: Why Were You Born? {https://www.cbcg.org/images/books/where_were_you_born/why-were-you-born.pdf}

This answers more and goes over some of the same material we've been talking about.

• Satan is our #1 enemy
• the crossing ourselves is the #2 enemy
• surrounding world is the #3 enemy

God has called us at a time when we have to battle all three!

Because of our battle, what is going to take place? I would like to leave a message that humility, which is the opposite, and it is the dire enemy of vanity. You see, this is a call; a spiritual call. This is a gift God gives to us: humility. If we don't have and if we're not concentrating on humbling ourselves before God, we're not going to go anywhere very fast at all!

Humility is a key, because as Peter says, 'We are to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God.' Some, some people say, 'Well, I've got no vanity, I've got no pride.' What are they saying? They're actually confessing that they have got, it is because you can't see it; vanity and pride is part of the human nature.

Gen. 6:5, Jer. 17:9: man, without the help of God, cannot see the vileness that is within us. God exposes this so we can get rid of it. Getting rid of all the vileness that came and goes back on the head of Satan. This is why the Passover is so important, the precious blood of Christ.

That's for the Church as we know. Then comes that important counterpart, which is the Day of Atonement, which has the same message with a kid goat chosen to represent Jesus Christ, which covers His blood, then covers the rest of humanity that have never been called going clear back possibly to Adam and Eve when they are called at a future time.

You and I have been called now to become humble, to humble ourselves before the mighty hand of God, so that he will exalt us in due time.

• humility comes before promotion
• humility comes before exaltation
• humility comes from the Spirit of God and from the mind of Christ.

God the Father Himself is humble. Couldn't we even say even meek of spirit because he praised Moses because of all men. He was the most meek of all men.

Isn't God meek? Look what He's done for you and me. He's actually called us, and I think a lot of us can say, 'I was the skum of the earth, but God called me. Why? Well, that's why because as Paul wrote in Cor. 1:26 God hasn't called the high in the mighty!

He's called the low; He's called the off-cast. That's what we were! That's what we are! He hasn't called many high and mighty and noble, and anyone who thinks he is, what's that old statement, which is a Biblical principle? Pride comes before a fall, because once you have pride, there comes jealousy, lust, greed!

Was Cain the first murderer? Anger! God said to Cain, 'You must rule over it! If you do, you are going to put yourself on the path to building and developing Holy and Righteous character and humility, which is the opposite of what you are exhibiting:

• anger
• hatred
• murder to your brother

We know what he, where his anger led to: murder!

We have to be so careful that we don't, in that spiritual sense, murder a brother or sister with the viciousness of our tongues and our lips. If we cannot humble ourselves before our brothers and sisters who are joint heirs in Christ, do you think God is going to see us as humble before Him? God is going test our humility of how we are prepared to humble ourselves before one and another.

We never got Eph. 3:10, But do read Eph. 2 & 3, just fantastic chapters just the mind of God just pouring out to us though the words of Paul. The inspiration, as David said, 'Your words are like honey to my mouth as we read, as we devour the Word of God.

We just have that feeling that God is talking to me. I understand what I'm reading. I couldn't understand it before, now I can. I'd like to close with a couple of Scriptures.

I'd just like to leave with you, do spend some time in the book of Ephesians. Phil. 3 is also a great chapter . The Bible's a great book, but you know, a particular point at certain times. There's information in there that is so uplifting, inspiring, and it's a driving force to help us to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, because that is how Satan is going to be destroyed.

Ephesians 3:9: "And that I might enlighten all as to what is the fellowship of the mystery that has been hidden from the ages in God, Who created all things by Jesus Christ."

Yes, he created Lucifer, but by choice and free moral agency Lucifer decided he was not going to obey God. He disobeyed God and became Satan the devil, and he's our great problem in the world today.

Verse 10: "So that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the Church…"

That's you and me, and all the saints going back to Christ, the apostles and the Church ever since.

"…the manifold wisdom of God…" (v 10). The humility of God, one of the aspects along with the blood of Christ that's going to throw Satan out into the outer darkness,

"…the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the Church to to the principalities and the powers in the heavenly places" (v 10)—or the heavenly realms!

Generally that term principalities and powers is a reference to the evil, demonic spirits. It can refer to the principalities that God has set in place, and we know that the angels sit in and listen to what's being said by physical human beings who are preaching the Word and they learn things. I think a lot of that happened in the past. Don't know about the present time

The church, which is humble, meek, and dependent on the blood of Christ—which is dependent on the Spirit of Christ—is a place in bringing freedom to the entirety of the universe, including humanity.

I'd like to read here in Ephesians. Paul was wanting to open the people's minds and their eyes so they could see and understand the wisdom and the knowledge of God.

Ephesians 1:18: And may the eyes of your mind be enlightened in order that you may comprehend what is the hope of His calling, and what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us…" (vs 18-19).

We can claim that! That's why he wants us to claim who believe us. Who believe according to the inner working of his mighty power in us, so that we may be able to humble ourselves before him so that he will exalt us in due time.

Verse 22—this is one I've mulled over time, after time. I don't know that I understand it yet, but I get an impression it's got something to do with Rom. 8 where we began,

Verse 22: "For He [God the Father] has subordinated all things under His feet… [Why? And God the Father] …has given Him… [the living Jesus Christ, the Son of God] … to be head over all things to the Church, which is His body—the fullness of Him Who fills all things in all" (vs 22-23).

That will not be able to be said as we understand to those who come up in the second resurrection!

So tie that in with what we read in Rom. 8, how that the whole creation is waiting on you and on me!

That's not to to be a matter of pride and vanity. That's our calling! That's what God wants us to do. God wants us to humble ourselves before Him like Daniel was humbled before Gabriel, the angel.

Your calling is so important to God the Father, God wants you. God desires you! God desires me to humble ourselves before him, and I'll say it again so that He is able to exalt us in his time when He knows it is the right place.

We find the answers to that are all laid out for us in God's annual Holy Days, beginning with a Passover.

Scriptural References:

• Romans 8:17-23
• Acts 3:18-19
• 1 Peter 1:19
• Acts 3:19-20
• Ezekiel 28:12-17
• Ephesians 3:9-10
• Ephesians 1:18-19, 22-23

Scriptures referenced, not quoted:

• John 14:30
• Psalm 19
• Genesis 1
• Daniel 9; 10
• Revelation 11-19
• John 5
• Isaiah 14
• Hebrews 10
• Genesis 3:15
• Matthew 4
• Luke 4
• Ephesians 2
• Genesis 6:5
• Jeremiah 17:9
• 1 Corinthians 1:26
• Philippians 3

Also referenced: from truthofGod.org:

Article: Satan's Great deception from the Church website. {https://www.cbcg.org/images/books/Satans-Great-Deception-CBCG.pdf}

Appendix Two: Did God Create Satan the Devil? from the book: Why Were You Born? {https://www.cbcg.org/images/books/where_were_you_born/why-were-you-born.pdf}

LJ:bo
Transcribed: 3/24/23

Copyright 2023—All rights reserved. Except for brief excerpts for review purposes, no part of this publication may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means without the written permission of the copyright owner. This includes electronic and mechanical photocopying or recording, as well as the use of information storage and retrieval systems.